The NFL Football Thread v2

Looks like the Patriots did take advantage of the free agency after all: some of their additions seem a bit mysterious to me, but the Patriots organization has a way of accessing formerly untapped potential.

I was a bit surprised to see the Packers latch onto Julius Peppers: there were hints of an active free agency, but I expected ~3 additions, not one monstrous one! I hope Peppers can slide into the 3-4 and help solidify the Packers porous defense.

Lots of other movement in the free agency, but the one that stands out to me is the Texans release of Schaub: the Texans went from being a playoff-caliber team two seasons ago, to the worst this season with similar personnel, to complete rebuilding mode. I would have kept Schaub for at least one more season to ease the transition a bit from top tier to complete rebuilding.

The Texans don't appear to have the Quarterback of the Future on their roster at this moment. They actually downgraded from Schaub to Fitzpatrick. Their defensive line and linebacking corps are monstrous and should help their secondary quite a bit. They're hoping, I guess, that they create either the '85 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, or the Falcons '77 Grits Blitz over there. They might, but...that's a pretty big gamble.

The Pats compensated for the loss of Talib by going after Revis Island. If Revis is healthy, that might work. They also got Brandon Browner and his PED suspension from the Seahawks. Their defensive line should improve if Wilfork and Kelly can remain healthy, but I dunno about the depth of their secondary. Plus, the passing attack hinges on Gronk staying healthy for up to 21 games this year. I'll cross my fingers, but that's...well, it makes me nervous. They'll miss Blount because they have no inside back, now. But I think they miss Danny Woodhead more.

So, the Seahawks opened impressively at home against the Packers. This performance wasn't like last season where the Denver offensive juggernaut debuted against the Ravens and Manning threw 7 touchdowns. This was a balanced attack. Tough, dominant defense that produced two turnovers (a strip sack and an interception). Hard tough running from Lynch and Turbin. A little sizzle from Harvin (jet sweeps, catches, and kickoffs). Superb genralship from Russel Wilson. All of the elements were there. Now, the Packers have to worry about the health of their offensive tackle (and the stability of their offensive line) and their star running back's availability (late concussion for Lacy). Their quarterback has the talent and the smarts to keep them in games, but will he have enough protection to win shootouts?

Glad to see the Packers seemingly getting back on track. I was worried during the first half that the offense wouldn't keep pace with the Bears' when the Packers defense seemed to be irrelevant. This season is much more balanced than the last, I feel. No team feels overly powerful or dominant, which makes each game very interesting and exciting.

The teams that could be dominant all seem like they've absorbed big injuries (like Arizona at the quarterback position...just as a for instance). San Diego is probably the toughest team to figure. They've absorbed injuries, but the guys who've stepped forward are all excellent. The question would be...why did the defense give up four TD passes to the Raiders?

Well, the Pats rebounded for a 12 win season, a division title, a Super Bowl berth, and.....a VICTORY!! Brady's 4th, with his 3rd MVP. A classic ending. And then, all the pieces they signed for this (last?) run left for huge money. Wilfork wasn't resigned. They saved money on him and Browner to make a run at Revis and then didn't even make an offer. Vereen left. Donta Hightower left? I thought I heard? So, they lost both corners, the most versatile nose tackle in football, their most reliable running back, and one or two linebackers. YIKES! But they signed McCourty to an extension. Yay.

Meanwhile the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins went on a spendapalooza, improving everywhere but the quarterback position. Whew. And there's the bogus "Deflategate" investigation still petering along. Great season. Awful offseason so far.

The helmet to helmet thing is mystifying. In college ranks, Torii Hunter Jr. was concussed on a helmet-to-helmet hit that wasn't called targeting OR defenseless player even though the guy lowered his head. Texas went on to a thrilling double overtime victory.

Newton gets abused but it isn't called mostly because he looks like a tight end in pads, I guess. Lots of missed field goal endings. Broncos got one (after freezing timeout on a kick that would have counted). Pats got one. Cowboys never got a crack at the field goal. Jets missed a new extra point and had a chippie field goal blocked. Tough to extrapolate from just one game what we're going to see. It does appear, however, that Jeff Fisher's luck may finally have run out if things don't improve A LOT in a hurry.

A Tie ,Seattle and Arizona , how poor can it get. I can't believe it!! How does two pro kickers both miss easy three pointers!! I guess they just wanted to go down in history for the first tie game in this century.

And there was another one in a London game a week later. The most stable team in the NFL looks like the Cowboys right now unless and until Brady gets healthy again. I never thought I'd type that sentence this year. And for one memorable day, the lengthened extra point became the most complicated play in football. Wow.

Pats won a classic Super Bowl. Well, it became a classic Super Bowl. The Pats played all-time bad for two and a half quarters and then spectacular for the last two quarters aggregate (including overtime). They're seriously having the "Greatest of All Time" conversation and people are calling Joe Montana the way they were calling Bart Starr in 1989 and 1990. It's interesting that Terry Bradshaw has shifted from sullen curmudgeon ("I played on the greatest team/dynasty ever." "Why don't I/we get credit?") to everybody's loveable wacky good-old-boy uncle. He'll still hold forth periodically, but he seems to have mellowed. Nearly two decades in the Hall can do that to someone, I suppose. Hasn't helped Joe Namath though.

So, things left for Brady to accomplish to bolster his argument (theoretically).

1. Another crack at some of the single-season records (unlikely, but if Gronk comes back healthy, maybe).

2. A run at an undefeated season.

If he succeeds at #2 with his level of play about what it was this year, he'll have checked off that plus a second repeat as champ. That would lead to 6 Lombardis, matching the Steelers. Solo possession of the regular season wins record.

The only other things would be the mythical 3-peat (never accomplished outside the Browns under Otto Graham, I think). And maybe matching The Bills for consecutive appearances. Both of those are ridiculously hard. Only two teams have ever been to three straight (Dolphins in the '70s are the other team) and the Bills are the only team to appear in four straight.

And that shudder you just heard was a gasp from all Pats fans who remember McMahon, Young, Aikman, Montana, and Warner.

Two decades ago, I was heartsick the Chiefs got to the doorstep and couldn't finish the deal against the Bills. Now, I'm glad that we never got a chance to find out what sort of damage Montana could have done to himself in pursuit of a fifth title against either the Niners or the Cowboys.

We hear about Dorsett and Thurman Thomas. We all saw Dwight Clark's announcement...what, two months ago? Forcing ourselves to realize this changes everything. It has to.